Drawer



' Nirnn STATES 5:

JAMES T. MAT"HE\VS, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

DRAWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,441, dated December 31, 1895.

Application filed August 8, 1895.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES T. MATTHEWS, of San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drawers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and useit, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention pertains to drawers, and the object of the same is to provide an improved attachment, whereby the ends of the drawer must move in unison and thus avoid wedging of the drawer, which often occurs when it is moved inward and outward, and a further object is to provide a tension mechanism for the said drawer-controlling device, whereby when the drawer is unlocked there will be sufficient tension upon the same to force it open, and further when the drawer is pulled outward too far the said tension device will exert an inward pull thereon and thus prevent the unconscious entire withdrawal of the drawer from the bureau-case or other article of furniture or device to which it belongs.

\Vith these objects in view my invention consists in the novel features of construction hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved drawer in a suitable casing, the same being shown partly in section. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the drawer when partly open, in which position the tension device is relaxed. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the drawer when pushed entirely within the case. Fig. 4B is a similar view showing the same almost entirely withdrawn.

A designates the drawer proper, and B the casing in which the drawer moves. This casing is here shown only for the purpose of illustrating the operation of my invention and forms no portion thereof, as the mechanism shown and presently to be described is adapted to be attached to a bureaucase or other article of furniture having sliding drawers. Upon the bottom of the drawer A,

and here shown near its respective ends, are the racks O, which extend parallel with the Serial No. 558,635. (No model.)

line of movement of the drawer and which engage pinions D secured to the transverse shaft E, the latter being supported by the outwardly-bent bearings F. A coiled spring G is secured at its rear end to casing B, as indicated at H, while a cord I connects the forward end of the spring with the shaft E, the cord being so connected as to wind upon the shaft when the latter is revolved.

The parts are so arranged that the cord merely extends to the shaft and is not wound thereon in either direction when the drawer is partially open, as indicated in Fig. 2. An inward movement of the drawer serves to wind the cord upon the shaft and thereby exert a tension thereon as the coiled spring is expanded by the operation, so that as soon as the drawer is unlocked or released the tension of the spring will so rotate the shaft as to force the drawer partially open, as in Fig. 2, while if the drawer is pulled out beyond a certain limit such as will cause the cord to be wound in a reverse direction upon the shaft, the coiled spring will be so expanded as to exert an inward pull upon the drawer through the medium of the pinion and rack, such as will prevent the operator from withdrawing the drawer entirely from its position without considerable efiort. Thus he will be warned and an entire displacement of the drawer will be avoided. It is apparent that the partial opening of the drawer when released will be of material assistance, as an outward pull thereon will be unnecessary excepting when the drawer is so laden down with articles that the spring-tension will be insufficient to move it, and in such case the tension of the spring will very materially assist in the outward movement of the drawer and thus greatly reduce the amount of pull required to move it. The pinions being fixed to the shaft it is apparent that the drawer ends must move in unison, and thus all wedging of the drawer either in its inward or outward movement is effectually avoided.

WVhile I do not claim broadly the device for causing the drawer ends to move in unison for the prevention of wedging, as this construction broadly stated is old, yet

\Vhat I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of a drawer and a single spring adapted to exert a pull upon the drawer when the latter is reciprocated in either direction from a pre-determined position so as to return the drawer to said position when re leased, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination of a slidable drawer, a shaft adapted to be rotated by the reciprocation of the drawer, and a tension device conneeted to said shaft which adapted to exert a pull upon the drawer through the medium of the shaft when the drawer is moved in either direction from a predetermined position, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination of a drawer, and a tension device operating in connection with the drawer so as to hold the same normally in a given position, and which exerts a pull upon the drawer when moved in either direction from said position, substantially as shown and described.

4:. The combination of a drawer, a shaft adapted to be rotated by the reciprocation of the drawer, a spring, and a connection between the spring and the shaft, whereby when the shaft is rotated by the drawer a tension or pull will be exerted thereon for the purpose, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination of a drawer, a shaft adapted to be rotated by the reciprocation thereof, a coiled spring fixed at one end and a cord connecting the opposite end of the spring to the shaft, whereby when the drawer is reeiprocated the cord will be wound upon the shaft and the spring expanded so as to cause a pull thereon, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination of the casing, the transverse shaft supported thereby, the pinions on the ends of the shaft, the drawer, the racks thereon which engage the pinions, the spring secured at one end to the casing, the cord connecting the outer end of the spring with the shaft, the parts operating substantially as herein shown and described.

In testimony whereof I al'lix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Vitnesses:

C. F. KLEINE, C. \V. ROLLINs. 

